Helen Simoneau Danse

The Company

HELEN SIMONEAU DANSE is committed to presenting dances works by Québécois choreographer and founder Helen Simoneau. In addition to an annual company season in Winston-Salem, NC, the company has been presented in Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and has toured throughout Germany, Asia, and the United States. Simoneau’s work has been described as vibrant, intricate, and “a treat of choreographic craft and imagery”. This year, the company is celebrating its 5th anniversary season.

Artistic Director

HELEN SIMONEAU is a native of Québec, Canada. She has received commissions from The Juilliard School, the American Dance Festival, the Bessie Schönberg Residency at The Yard, Springboard Danse Montréal, and the Swiss International Coaching Project (SiWiC) in Zurich. She was a resident artist at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC and Bates Dance Festival in Maine and has received fellowships from the Bogliasco Foundation and from the North Carolina Arts Council. Notable venues that have presented her work include Dance Place in DC, Joyce SoHo in NYC, Tangente in Montréal, The Aoyama Round Theatre in Tokyo, the L.I.G. Art Hall Busan in South Korea, Jacob’s Pillow (Inside/Out), Movement Research at Judson Church, Athens International Dance Festival in Greece, and Danza Urbana in Bologna. Her work has also been presented at PACT-Zollverein in Essen as one of three finalists for the Kurt Jooss Prize and at the 13th Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theatre Festival in Stuttgart, Germany, where she was awarded 1st place for Choreography. Simoneau received a B.F.A from the North Carolina School of the Arts and a M.F.A. from Hollins University.

Artistic Statement

“I am interested in the intricacies of human dynamics. Through my dance making, I explore the ways we, as individuals, interact and relate to the larger group. Inspired by this interest, much of my work is created on ensembles of three to as many as twelve or more dancers, and I enjoy sculpting and directing these from the outside, bringing out each performers distinctive characteristics and honing the energy of the group. While I find it essential to be an outside choreographic eye for these works, I frequently dance in my own solos and duets and relish pushing my own physicality to extremes, experiencing the work from the inside. Through a collaborative environment, I enjoy partaking in the dancers’ own curiosities and decision-making. Although my work begins with form, an underlying meaning or “through line” emerges during the creation process. Proximity, intimacy, and personal space have been ongoing inspirations for me as they establish a tension between the dancers and between the stage and the audience that has been a constant source of fascination for me. Intersecting patterns, crisp lines, and detailed gestures will usually find their way into my finished work.”